Pink Signs

[silverback1065]

I was looking in the INDOT design manual a few days ago and came across a section with pink signs.  I never knew that these were a color that was used, I don't have it by me right now, but I believe it said it was for emergency detours.  Has anyone seen these out in the field?  Any pictures?

[agentsteel53]

yes.

I think the category in which they live is called "incident management".  (someone with a recent MUTCD in front of them can correct me.) 

the signs tend to be lightweight (sometimes just canvas or fabric or something similar) and hung on an easel for ease of placement and removal.  I've seen "accident ahead", "survey crew", "brush fire ahead" and several others which I can't remember.

the "pink" may be a bit of a misnomer, since the light canvas does not yield a "bright pink" like the panther that one would most readily visualize.  it comes close, though, in certain situations.  this appears to be more of a plastic tarp material than the translucent canvas I've seen elsewhere.

[Zeffy]

I think the category in which they live is called "incident management".  (someone with a recent MUTCD in front of them can correct me.) 

Yep, you're right - they are called incident management signs. Here's the MUTCD section for these types of signs:
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009r1r2/part6/part6i.htm

Here's some more of the signs that one may see:


I've never seen these in person - but I've seen photos of them in use.

[briantroutman]

I was about to chime in and say that the proper term for that color was not pink but coral, but then I checked Richard Moeur's site and found I was wrong. (http://www.trafficsign.us/signcolor.html)

The term for this color is fluorescent pink, and it has been designated for incident management, but I've never seen them in use (despite having run across many "incidents")

Coral is, by the way, reserved for future use–although I could easily see it being mistaken for a slightly faded red. Also reserved are light blue and purple.

[corco]

I have seen them a few times out here- they tend to be used by private companies doing work adjacent to the rights of way in these parts.

[hbelkins]

I have seen them a few times out here- they tend to be used by private companies doing work adjacent to the rights of way in these parts.

When I've seen them used by private contractors, they've been orange signs that are old and faded.

[6a]

Columbus PD (ODOT?) uses them for long-duration accident sites, like a truck rolling over. They look just like the one agentsteel53 posted except they say 'ACCIDENT AHEAD'. Most of the time they are used just before a temporary lane closure for the cleanup.

[Duke87]

I was about to chime in and say that the proper term for that color was not pink but coral, but then I checked Richard Moeur's site and found I was wrong. (http://www.trafficsign.us/signcolor.html)

They have light blue reserved for future use, eh? Maybe we should use pink for girl incidents and light blue for boy incidents.

[SD Mapman]

Huh. Never seen those in the Dakotas.

[jeffandnicole]

Columbus PD (ODOT?) uses them for long-duration accident sites, like a truck rolling over. They look just like the one agentsteel53 posted except they say 'ACCIDENT AHEAD'. Most of the time they are used just before a temporary lane closure for the cleanup.

Same with NJ. Usually, they are used for lane closures of multiple hours when the original incident has long been cleared. Downed poles or traffic lights, flooding, hit bridges, etc would be reasons for the pink signs to be used.

[Scott5114]

Coral is, by the way, reserved for future use–although I could easily see it being mistaken for a slightly faded red. Also reserved are light blue and purple.

Purple is no longer reserved as of the 2009 MUTCD. Instead, it is used to denote open-road tolling facilities.

[roadman]

Coral is, by the way, reserved for future use—although I could easily see it being mistaken for a slightly faded red. Also reserved are light blue and purple.

Purple is no longer reserved as of the 2009 MUTCD. Instead, it is used to denote open-road tolling facilities.

Not quite - Purple is now used to denote all electronic tolling facilites, including toll lanes where you have to slow down to 10 or 15 mph.

[cpzilliacus]

Columbus PD (ODOT?) uses them for long-duration accident sites, like a truck rolling over. They look just like the one agentsteel53 posted except they say 'ACCIDENT AHEAD'. Most of the time they are used just before a temporary lane closure for the cleanup.

I've seen similar signage used - once - by the Virginia State Police. 

VSP troopers were investigating a fatal crash on eastbound U.S. 50 in Frederick County between the West Virginia border and Winchester and were able to keep one eastbound lane open (the road is a four lane divided arterial) while they did their investigation and reconstruction. 

[CANALLER]

These signs are generally the vinyl roll-up type.  They can be thrown in the trunk of a police car for use as advanced warning of a lane or road closure that isn't a posted work zone, like a serious car accident, house fire, crime scene.  I've only seen them used once, but they are in the Fed M.U.T.C.D.  The fluorescent pink is very hard to distinguish; if you're more than a few feet away they look just like standard orange construction signs.

[silverback1065]

These signs are generally the vinyl roll-up type.  They can be thrown in the trunk of a police car for use as advanced warning of a lane or road closure that isn't a posted work zone, like a serious car accident, house fire, crime scene.  I've only seen them used once, but they are in the Fed M.U.T.C.D.  The fluorescent pink is very hard to distinguish; if you're more than a few feet away they look just like standard orange construction signs.

Ya they do look more orange than pink to me too.

[Alps]

I was about to chime in and say that the proper term for that color was not pink but coral, but then I checked Richard Moeur's site and found I was wrong. (http://www.trafficsign.us/signcolor.html)

They have light blue reserved for future use, eh? Maybe we should use pink for girl incidents and light blue for boy incidents.

The NY-NJ Port Authority uses light blue for airport welcome signs. They also have some use for a burgundy color - maroon if you will - that the MUTCD doesn't cover, but would actually be a rather nice addition to the overall spectrum.

[hm insulators]

I've seen one such sign once. I was driving from Phoenix to San Jose and just as I was hitting the I-10/California 60 split just west of Beaumont, I saw the sign right along I-10 and traffic backed up badly on the 10. I was just able to bail out onto the 60.

[US 41]

When I've seen them used by private contractors, they've been orange signs that are old and faded.

That's what I see in Terre Haute. I've never seen pink signs.

[formulanone]

Caught one of these at night, once:

[Alps]

When I've seen them used by private contractors, they've been orange signs that are old and faded.

That's what I see in Terre Haute. I've never seen pink signs.

First ones I saw were in Florida a few years ago. I've started to see them in more and more states since then. Don't recall them in NJ, at least on the state level, possibly on the county level though (I wanna say Salem or Cumberland).

[signalman]

Don't recall them in NJ, at least on the state level, possibly on the county level though (I wanna say Salem or Cumberland).

I've definitely seen these pink signs in use in northern NJ counties.  Sussex, for sure, and I think Hunterdon too.

[jakeroot]

I saw this on the way to school a few days ago (luckily I read this post and pulled over to snap a picture):



Incident management? Not really an incident, I suppose. And apologies, my phone does not have a good camera.

[Zeffy]

I saw one coming up US 206 in Princeton yesterday. It said 'Traffic Emergency Ahead'. The funny part? There wasn't any. I couldn't snap a picture because well, I didn't expect it in the first place.

[r-dub]

In last year's Black Forest Fire in Colorado, the incident management sign was used to denote clean drinking water:

Since the fire was in a populated area with wells, water was scarce for a bit. These signs stayed up for about 4 months after the fire.

[Zeffy]

There were some pink signs being used during today's ice storm in Princeton / Mercer County:





From: http://www.nj.com/weather-guy/index.ssf/2014/02/nj_digs_out_conditions_slowly_improving_after_ice_storm_third_storm_may_be_lurking.html#incart_m-rpt-1